Opening order minimum vs. reorder minimum
Many brands use two numbers. The opening order minimum applies to a store’s first order and is set high enough that the line gets a proper display, not one lonely piece on a shelf. The reorder minimum is usually lower, because the store already has your product and is now restocking what sold.
For small brands selling to boutiques, opening minimums commonly sit somewhere in the low hundreds of dollars, with reorder minimums lower than that. The right number depends on your price point and category: a jewelry line with a lower average price might set a modest opening minimum, while furniture or high-end apparel will be higher.
Dollar minimums vs. unit minimums
A dollar minimum (for example, a set amount at wholesale) is the most flexible: the buyer can mix styles as they like, as long as the total gets there. It is the most common choice for boutiques because it lets the store curate.
Unit minimums work per product: at least six of a style, or at least one full size run. They protect you from orders of single pieces that are uneconomical to pick and pack. Many brands combine both: a dollar minimum on the order and a unit minimum on certain styles.
Case packs and multiples
If a product is packed in boxes of 6 or 12, you do not want orders for 7. A case multiple tells the buyer the product can only be ordered in steps of the pack size: 6, 12, 18. This is standard for candles, cosmetics, food, socks, basics and any product that arrives from production pre-packed.
Be careful with large case packs for small stores. A boutique might happily take 6 of a candle scent but not 24. If your production packs are large, consider repacking into smaller multiples for independent retail.
Size runs and prepacks
In apparel and footwear, the minimum is often expressed as a size run: one of each size (S, M, L) or a prepack with a fixed ratio, such as 1 small, 2 mediums, 2 larges and 1 extra large. Prepacks make production and picking simpler and stop stores ordering only the middle sizes, which leaves you with the ends of the run.
Offering both is common: prepacks for opening orders and open sizing (by the each, with a minimum per style) for reorders, when the store knows which sizes sell.
How to choose your numbers
Work backwards from your costs. Estimate the fixed cost of handling one order: time to pick and pack, the box, the invoice, the follow-up. Your minimum should leave a healthy margin after that. Then sanity-check against the market: look at what similar brands at your price point ask for, and listen to what buyers say when they hesitate.
- Calculate your cost to process one order
- Check minimums of similar brands in your category
- Make the opening order enough for a real display
- Keep reorders easy with a lower minimum
- Revisit the numbers after your first season
Enforcing minimums in an online catalog
Minimums written on page 12 of a PDF line sheet get missed, and then you are the one sending the "your order is under our minimum" email. An online catalog can enforce them while the buyer is still ordering.
In LINK you set an order minimum, per-product minimums and case multiples. The cart shows the buyer what is missing before they send, so orders arrive already within your terms. Size runs and assortments can be set up with variants and kits, and stock updates as orders come in. If you want different rules for opening orders and reorders, a simple approach is to keep a separate catalog for existing accounts (catalogs are unlimited on the Complete plan) and send each group the right link.